Film Blog 5, Question 1 (March 21st)

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Film Blog 5, Question 1 (March 21st)

Hollywood has started to take steps to address critiques over its lack of diversity, particularly in the areas of race and gender. What else, if anything, needs to be done to make the film industry (behind the scenes) and its products (movies) more representative of its audience? Limit: 11 responses

15 comments:

UnknownMarch 19, 2017 at 5:44 PM
For many decades, Hollywood has struggled with a lack of diversity within the film industry—particularly with race and gender. According to the Blistering Study, “Hollywood is male-centric, monochromatic and overwhelmingly heterosexual.”

However, not 100 percent of all of Hollywood’s diversity issues revolve around male-dominance, white people and heterosexuality. Hollywood is making some progress with being more inclusive with its actors and actresses but not by much. According to Brent Lang, “a third of speaking characters were female, less than 30% were from minority groups and a mere 2% were lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.”

Since Hollywood mainly being white, male-dominant and heterosexual, many people would view that Hollywood has a diversity problem. However, Hollywood does not only have a diversity problem. Hollywood’s problem in the film industry goes deeper than that. According to Stacey L. Smith, Founding Director of the MDSC Initiative, “This is no mere diversity problem. This is an inclusion crisis.”

Hollywood must make several clarifications to make the film industry (behind the scenes) and its products (movies) more representative and inclusive of its audience. Like the SVOD services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, Hollywood must “normalize” (Parham, 2) what viewers see and create films that relate more to the audience than how Hollywood relates to the reactions and popularity of the films. If Hollywood makes its films staring everyday people and everyday events rather than what Hollywood thinks will get popular views, more people from different backgrounds will be more interested. According to Jason Parham, “Progress isn’t solely a matter of narrowing the color gap on TV but of widening the types of stories that reach us” (and that goes for Hollywood, too).

In Los Angeles, there are a lot of poor and homeless Mexican workers who are enslaved to Hollywood. A lot of employers in Hollywood would never think about giving Mexicans a chance to star in movies—and a lot of Mexicans are smart, just like any other race. “There’s probably a Mexican who’s that smart who’s never going to be given a shot” (Rock, 2). Instead of being enslaved to Hollywood, I think Hollywood should have its Mexican “slaves” try out a position for the film industry. They may become Hollywood’s next top stars!

If Hollywood still refuses for its films to become inclusive of all people, people could always try making their films outside of the studio. Outside of the studio and behind the scenes, there is less pressure from Hollywood standards and everyone has an equal chance of starring in a film. In fact, according to Chris Rock, some of the “best ones (films) are made outside of the studio system because they’re not made with that many white people.”

For the future, not only Hollywood, but other companies as well should include a list of inclusion goals. By creating a list of inclusion goals, the film industries can work on, and check off, all the steps that need to be taken so that everyone in the film industry has an equal chance of getting included. “Companies should create ‘inclusion goals,’ build lists of directors and writers to consider that are 50% women and 38% people of color, and weigh the strong financial performance of films with female or minority leads and directors when making decisions about future productions” (Lang, 2).

For the film industry, it’s a long way to the top in terms of creating and maintaining inclusion rights. It will take a while, but the ongoing process of equalization will prove the wait will be worth it. After all, “Equality is a process, not a destination”(Rosenberg, 2).
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Melanie NyarkoMarch 20, 2017 at 12:37 PM
Hollywood-like many industries- is about what you know, but mostly about who you know. The problem becomes: if the people at the top only know those who look like them, where does that leave space for the audience who may not look like the people at the top?

Chris Rock- comedian, actor, filmmaker and host- hit the nail on the head in his essay in the Hollywood Reporter magazine. He speaks about being granted the opportunity to work with Eddie Murphy- which then opened countless doors for him to be able to continue climbing the ladder of success. It is important to highlight when he speaks about his desire to continue paying it forward. Rock states that he tries to “help young black guys coming up because those people took chances on me.” He continues, asserting that: “[he’d] do the same for a young white guy, but here's the difference: Someone's going to help the white guy. Multiple people will. The people whom I've tried to help, I'm not sure anybody was going to help them.” (Rock) Chris Rock was able to put into lament terms the major criticism that the industry has been facing- the lack of inclusion because there is little desire to help those you do not know or relate to. He goes on to speak about the trends noticed for black and Mexican peoples- where the “NBA is a black industry,” and Mexican people are hired to do labor rather than act. (Rock)

As Chris Rock stated, “everyone likes to see themselves onscreen,” (Rock) which is why “black” movies like ‘Get Out,’ ‘Moonlight,’ and ‘Hidden Figures’ draw mostly black viewers. Same for why TV shows like ‘Sex in the City’ got so much support from women alike- it is in our nature to support those who we identify with. Moonlight and Get Out were two “black” movies that showed that movies can be vastly different even under the same umbrella. In his criticism entitled “Critic's Notebook - Why 'Get Out' and 'Moonlight' Are Breakthroughs in Black Filmmaking,” Bilge Ebiri is able to highlight the stark differences between the two movies and how it still aided in the success of both of the films. Ebiri speaks about how “Moonlight shows us the love and beauty to be found in the hood, while Get Out shows us the fear and madness to be found among ostensibly progressive elites. Meanwhile, both films demonstrate the vitality of having people of color behind the camera.” (Ebiri) These movies, in addition to a few others are how Hollywood is combating the diversity issue. When you give people who historically have not had the chance- or had very little chance- to tell their own stories, you begin to open space for more creativity and dialogue.

In fact, after these movies, there has been an increased number of minority award winners. Janelle Riley compares this year to last year when ‘#OscarsSoWhite’ was trending and had no actors of color recognized, to this year where seven minority actors were recognized. (Riley) This is the forward step we need. Although there will be controversy and speculation about prizes being given out for political correctness or pity, that should not deter awards being given anyway to deserving diverse players. Alyssa Rosenberg said it best when she said: “If Hollywood looks at the work that Henson, Spencer, Monáe, Ali and Hodge do in “Hidden Figures” and gets that message, too, that would be awfully nice and embarrassingly overdue.” (Rosenberg) Recognition for those who were shunned in the past is not being “pitiful” but rather being aware and considerate of biases that left them underrepresented in the first place.

While I recognize the steps being taken to make the industry more representative, I think the next step may be remove the “black” category from these films. It makes it seem as if “white” films are the default. Fences was a great movie- not just a black movie. Get Out was an amazing social thriller- not just a black social think piece. Hidden Figures was an awing historical remake- not just a black movie.
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UnknownMarch 20, 2017 at 1:51 PM
The film industry has been under the spotlight with certain issues involving diversity within film and movies. This is not only about the people who are cast in movies and shows, but also the people directing them. More men than women are chosen to direct and produce. The film industry has been known to limit flexibility when it comes to casting different races and giving women more responsibility. The industry is beginning to understand and correct these issues, but there is still a long way to go in order to create an equal environment.
Black television and movie writers are not given the same opportunities as white writers, and male white writers are given more opportunities than female writers. This lack of diversity makes it seem like this profession is white and male dominant, even though different genders and races are hardly ever given the opportunity to prove everyone wrong. When is comes to comedy, there is not a whole lot of diversity when is comes to the writers even though, “ there really is not any difference between what black audiences find funny and what white audiences find funny,” (Rock 2014). Overall, the race and gender of the audience or writers should not matter, as long as the film, or show is successful. The reason people think there has to be a difference is when the writer makes jokes about another race or gender that differs from their own. Because it is not directed at the offended audience, they seem to think making cruel jokes is justified.
The equality between men and women and directing is shockingly low, and it is only getting worse. Women are not given as much opportunity as men in this industry making it male dominant. Out of all the films that are directed, “women comprised only seven percent of all directors working on the 250 highest-grossing domestic releases,” (Brent 2017). There is also a shockingly high difference in pay between men and women actors, writers, and directors in the industry. Over the pervious two years, there has been a decline of successful women who were responsible for directing because women were not given the chance. Even though there has been a decline, “the year 2017 promises to be more diverse in terms of top-grossing pictures such as ‘Wonder Women’ and ‘Pitch Perfect 3,’” (Brent 2017).
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Angie KingMarch 20, 2017 at 3:11 PM
Angie King
In order for Hollywood to finally overcome its inclusion crisis, it needs to establish goals for the amount of women and non-white executives, producers, editors, writers, etc. they would like to see. Unless it is a written goal, it will continue to be all talk. As society has progressed, Hollywood has remained white and male. For being in a liberal state, Hollywood does not mimic those same values as California. Written goals are the way Hollywood will finally change.
After an in-depth, comprehensive study was conducted on 109 movies, and 306 broadcast, cable and digital series, its authors were left scared for the future. Their biggest suggestion after looking at the data was that all companies in Hollywood “should create ‘inclusion goals,’ build lists of directors and writers to consider that are 50% women and 38% people of color, and weigh the strong financial performance of films with female or minority leads and directors when making decisions about future productions” (Lang). How does any company overcome challenges? They have meetings to talk about their issues. They set goals. They make plans according to their goals. Many in Hollywood have recognized the problem. So as any business should, they need to address the problem in a numerical and practical way. In order to make their content relative to their audience (the American public), they need to make their employees representative of that.
It will start from the top of the Hollywood companies. If women and other minorities begin to hold positions at all levels, the mindset will change within Hollywood. Dr. Stacy L. Smith, a professor from USC provided key insight to the data gathered from a major study on women and racial minorities in Hollywood. Dr. Smith named this trend of exclusion “the ‘epidemic of invisibility’ and suggested one solution, which is to hire more women behind the camera. Female directors are more likely to lead to more diversity onscreen… however, female directors are not being hired to helm as much as male directors” (Haar). This approach could help in making gains in closing Hollywood’s diversity gap. Dr. Smith’s theory that women and minorities are more likely to hire women and minorities makes sense. Minorities will tend to advocate for each other. Chris Rock described a similar scenario in his critique of Hollywood. He attributed many of his successes and opportunities to Eddie Murphy. Chris Rock noted that Eddie Murphy was critical in him getting roles, because someone was looking out for him. He recognized that he would “do the same for a young white guy, but here’s the difference: Someone’s going to help the white guy. Multiple people will. The people whom [Chris Rock has] tried to help, [he wasn’t] sure anybody was going to help them” (Rock). Therefore, once women and minorities get on-screen roles, director positions etc. they will hire and advocate for others. It will take time to see an equal and fairly represented Hollywood. But once companies form inclusion policies and stick to it, there will be big changes in Hollywood.

Works Cited
Haar, Kara. “Industry Execs Discuss Hollywood’s Diversity Gap at Entertainment Finance
Forum.” The Hollywood Reporter. 03 March 2017. Web. 20 March 2017.
Lang, Brent. “Hollywood Is a ‘Straight, White, Boys’ Club,’ Blistering Study Finds.” Variety. 22
February 2016. Web. 20 March 2017.
Rock, Chris. “Chris Rock Pens Blistering Essay on Hollywood’s Race Problem: ‘It’s a White
Industry’.” The Hollywood Reporter. 03 December 2014. Web. 20 March 2017.
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UnknownMarch 20, 2017 at 6:22 PM
It is intolerable that we are already in 2017 and there is still such a prominent lack of equality in Hollywood. This doesn’t just involve different ethnicities hired for a variety of roles within the movies, but it also includes gender on and off the screen. In saying this, after reading the numerous articles that address this issue, it shows the topic not being swept under the rug and a solution is desire among those even in the industry. The new movies ‘Hidden Figures’, which addresses the true story of three African American women who worked for NASA and severed as the brains behind the historical event of astronaut John Glenn being launched into orbit. Unlike many movies nowadays, the film “challenged to make use of the talent it had on hand, no matter the gender or color of the people who possessed it” (Rosenburg). Having a cast that was racially accurate and didn’t attempt to make the white men seem better or more pleasant than they were, the movie was able to be seen in a different more accurate light. Bringing in a sense of equality when filming the movie, Hidden Figures set the stage for other films to come in the future.
However, the reason this movie stands out so much is because it is unfortunately an outlier. This kind of equality and recognition is not often found in Hollywood. A more common thought for Hollywood, as Bret Lang mentioned in his article, is “male-centric, monochromatic and overwhelmingly heterosexual” (Lang). After looking at 109 movies and 306 broadcasts, a University of Southern California study showed that only a third of speaking characters were female, less than 30% were that of a minority group, and less that 2% were gay, lesbian, or transgender (Lang). That leaves an immense amount of room for improvement. That is just in front of the camera as well, moving off camera the results are still shocking. The same study discussed female directors in the industry, with them taking up only 3.4% of film directors, 17.1% of broadcasting directors, 15.1% of cable directors and 11.8% of streaming directors (Lang). The worst part about all of this is that in 2016, there was a 2% decrease in the amount of women producers than that of 2015, making up only 24% of the 250 films of 2016 (Lang).
Chris Rock brings up some interesting points about what he believes about the industry. “It’s a white industry. Like the NBA is a black industry. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. It just is” (Rock). This is thought-provoking because although Rock says he is okay with it being a white industry, he goes out of his way to try and break through that stereotype by helping other African American comedians and actors with their careers. Using Leslie Jones as an example he mentions, “She's about as funny as a human being can be, but she didn't go to Second City, she doesn't do stand-up at The Cellar and she's not in with Judd Apatow, so how the hell was she ever going to get through unless somebody like me says to Lorne Michaels, ‘Hey, look at this person’?”(Rock). Even with this, Rock continues, “I wrote her name down in my phone. I probably called four managers - the biggest managers in comedy - to manager her, and all of them said no. They didn’t get it” (Rock). Even with this big names trying to help these agents recognize this talent, it all begins with people wanting to support these different races and having the desire to make Hollywood more diverse.
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UnknownMarch 20, 2017 at 8:56 PM
Hollywood and the entertainment industry have been known for having a lack of diversity amongst casts and crew. We can see in films how popular whitewashing has become and the lack of minorities in certain roles. Women are still portrayed a certain way and not making as much money as white males do.
In Variety’s article, “Hollywood is a ‘Straight, White, Boys’ Club’ Blistering Study Finds,” Brent Lang discusses the problems within Hollywood and the lack of equality. “Hollywood is a male-centric, monochromatic, and overwhelmingly heterosexual” (Lang). The article discusses how there is such a low number of women working in the corporate branches and executive management teams within the film industry. The gender ratio at the top of the chain is a factor in the lack of diversity that we see in films and television.
Chris Rock addresses the diversity issue within the entertainment industry in the Hollywood Reporter. “It’s a white industry. Just as the NBA is a black industry. I’m not even saying it’s a bad thing. It just is” (Rock). In the article Rock mentions that many people will watch a film or a television show that they themselves can possibly relate to. Black people mainly watch black films because it is relatable and women mainly watch “Sex & the City” as it is a show aimed towards the average woman. Rock also mentions how it is not just black people who are affected within the entertainment industry. Mexicans deal with the same issues, as many of them are not casted in roles.
The article, “From C-Suite to Characters on Screen” provides more information on just how exclusive Hollywood is. “Over half of the content we examined features no Asian or Asian-American characters, and over 20% featured no African-American characters. It is clear that the ecosystem of entertainment is exclusionary” (Public Affairs Staff).
It is clear that Hollywood has had this reputation for some time. As someone who has occasionally watched ABC’s “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” I have always found it interesting the lack of different races that are chosen as contestants, and the limited amount of time minorities spend on camera. With the announcement of the first ever black Bachelorette, I am interested to see whom the producers cast for the male contestants, especially since in the past we can see what producers mainly select. Past contestants have explained that the production team of the ABC franchise is predominantly white and there really are no minorities working behind-the-scenes. The Collegiate Times discusses the announcement of the new bachelorette. “Producers are hesitant to cast minorities in race-neutral romantic roles because of a fear that the white audience will perceive it as ‘not for them’” (Jones). This is the mindset that producers have when creating a show. If a show appears to have a black cast, then it will only interest a black audience. Unfortunately, this mindset is what affects the actors that we see, or lack thereof, onscreen in television shows and movies.
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UnknownMarch 21, 2017 at 9:52 AM
Many critics of Hollywood claim the film industry lacks diversity behind the scenes and in front of the camera. There is a lot of evidence to support this claim due to an absence of minorities, women, and members of the LGBT community in film. This is why predominant actors such as Chris Rock have claimed film is a “white industry” (Rock). Women have also been missing from the picture, with numbers as low as 7% of all directors working on the highest-grossing domestic releases in 2016 (Lang). This evidence supports an even greater critique that the film industry is strictly a white, male industry. Something needs to change here because film has been a popular form of entertainment for a very diverse audience. Why should the industry be so inclusive?
It is necessary to begin advocating for change in the film industry because the movies produced are offered to such a wide audience. In 2017, there is no reason we should be excluding anybody from playing a role in the production of a film. As a society we have come so far to remove racial and gender barriers, and the fact that we preserve these barriers in an industry that is meant to entertain and bring people together shows that change is needed.
In an article from Vanity Fair, a proposition was made to help improve the lack of diversity in the film industry. A study proposed a simple suggestion that Hollywood producers should begin adding five female characters to every script. This would significantly increase female representation in movies and would be a step in the right direction towards improving the lack of diversity (Desta). This can be a huge improvement because it leaves room to include female actors of different races and other groups. One small change to the industry’s current formula could result in tremendous change for its low percentage of diverse roles.
It is troubling to see film being an industry that requires a predominantly white cast that features white main characters. There is no denying that this is whitewashing at its finest, yet it has become the norm and the audience became used to it. However, the audience is now recognizing that we want change- even as a white male, I find relief in seeing a diverse cast for a great film, which is something that I should not have to find relief in. It is time for the film industry to hear its audience and begin producing content that pertains to everyone. We need to move towards films that focus on the backgrounds of every group in America that feature diverse casts and represent the fact that America is home to a plethora of different cultures.
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UnknownMarch 21, 2017 at 10:05 AM
The Film industry is has under represented almost every minority group. When there are movies with African American leads or female directors that deserve recognition by the Oscars, they tend to miss out. According to USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, “in 2014-15 were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. This is 9.6% below the U.S. population norm of 37.9%. One-third (33.5%) of speaking characters were female. Behind the camera, a mere 15.2% of all directors and 28.9% of writers across film and every episode of television and digital series were female. Less than one-quarter (22.6%) of series creators were women across broadcast, cable and streaming content.” There are beginning to be signs of this changing. Moonlight a movie with a black cast and black director, just won the Oscar for best picture (but not without a the close call discrepancy). There is also Jordan Peele’s Get Out, which has received a huge box office boom. Hopefully, the future of the Academy isn’t moral licensing, where they go back to not nominating minority actors and fall back on “we can’t be racist, Moonlight won best picture in 2017!”
The success of “Get Out” makes me think that we will see more socially conscience movies get recognition by the zeitgeist, which, in turn, leads to The Academy. “Get Out” works in the realm of socially conscience thriller because, according to Shawn Tyler of The Nerds of Color, ““Get Out is the consequence of thinking that America became some post-racial bastion because of Obama’s two terms as president.” With the popularity of these socially conscience movies centered on race, we will most likely see more of them. Movies are a copycat industry, it’s the reason we have so many superhero movies. “Get Out” had a budget of $5 million and now was grossed over $100 million in box office. Those numbers are exactly what movie studios will be looking for, something low cost that will make a ton of money.
Jordan Peele has already said he has four more social thrillers that are based in a similar world as “Get Out.” He told Business Insider, "The best and scariest monsters in the world are human beings and what we are capable of especially when we get together. I've been working on these premises about these different social demons, these innately human monsters that are woven into the fabric of how we think and how we interact, and each one of my movies is going to be about a different one of these social demons.” I saw “Get Out,” and loved it a lot. It was an incredibly fun experience to sit on the edge of my seat and watch everything pan out in front of me. The scariest part isn’t even until the last 5 minutes of the movie. I’m very excited to see what else Jordan Peele can cook up.

Ebiri, Bilge. "Critic's Notebook: Why 'Get Out' and 'Moonlight' Are Breakthroughs in Black Filmmaking." The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., 07 Mar. 2017. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.

"From C-Suite to Characters on Screen: How inclusive is the entertainment industry?" USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. N.p., 22 Feb. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.

Guerrasio, Jason. "Jordan Peele plans to direct a whole series of horror movies about 'social demons'" Business Insider. Business Insider, 17 Feb. 2017. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
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UnknownMarch 22, 2017 at 9:15 PM

Even though people in Hollywood have been addressing the problem, lack of diversity only seems to be getting worse. The entertainment and news industry can publish content about their shortcomings with diversity, but it still won’t change anything. The problem is the people in the industry. Unfortunately, it is dominantly a white straight male operated system. This clearly doesn’t represent the actual demographics of the country so why are people accepting that there is nothing wrong? The people in charge are dominantly white males so statistically they hire and create content that are majority white males. The industry needs to hire or be required to hire more females in top level positions. An article exemplifies the fact that, “films with women directors employ higher percentages of female writers, editors, cinematographers, and composers than films with men behind the camera” (Lang). In order to change the system, we need to start at the top of the pyramid and then it will trickle down. A study suggests another solution would be for companies to create “inclusion goals” to reach like employing 50% women and 38% people of color (Lang). Once the top is more balanced the content created should replicate the progress.
There is also a lack of diversity because the underrepresented are only considered for specific rolls. Even for non-historical movies where race doesn’t matter most of the lists for lead roles rarely consisted of minorities. Chris Rock gives the example of Fifty Shades of Grey, “Is it going to be Ryan Gosling or Chiwetel Ejiofor for Fifty Shades of Grey?" And you know, black people f—, too. White women actually want to f— black guys, sometimes more than white guys.” While the statement is rather explicit he has a point. Why aren’t more minorities being considered for rolls that can literally be played by anybody? The industry is only giving them parts stereotypical to their race or gender. Chris Rock wanted to be Starsky or Hutch not Huggy Bear. There is no reason why minorities shouldn’t be offered these roles. People think there is no money in making content that is “politically correct” but there is. When people are represented in a film they are going to want to see it even if it’s not a decent film. Again this all stems from the top of the pyramid. White males represent themselves more because naturally it’s what they know. The problem is that there is obviously an overrepresentation. This country is not consisted of 96.6% males so why is the film industry? The film industry is the worst but not the only non-inclusive industry. Ultimately, more females will lead to more diversity.

Lang, Brent. “Hollywood is a ‘Straight, White, Boys’ Club,’ Blistering Study Finds.” Variety 22 Feb. 2016. Web.

Lang, Brent. "Number of Female Directors Falls Despite Diversity Debate, Says Study." Variety. N.p., 12 Jan. 2017. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Public Affairs Staff. “From C-Suite to Characters on Screen: How inclusive is the entertainment industry?” 22 Feb. 2016. Web.

Rock, Chris. “Chris Rock Pens Blistering Essay on Hollywood’s Race Problem: “It’s a White Industry.” Hollywood Reporter 3 Dec. 2014. Web.
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